Milestone reached in containership construction

Philly Shipyard Inc. (PSI) and Matson Inc. have announced a major milestone in the construction of the first of two new Aloha Class containerships.

The vessels will be delivered to Matson in 3Q18 and 1Q19, respectively, and are designed specifically for Hawaii service. At 850 ft long and 3600 TEU, they will be the largest containerships ever built in the US, and will include a number of green ship technology features to help protect the environment. These include: a more efficient hull design; dual-fuel engines that can be adapted to use LNG; environmentally safe double hull fuel tanks; and fresh water ballast systems. The vessels will be capable of operating at speeds in excess of 23 knots and, despite their size, are designed to accommodate future needs by being able to navigate safely into some of Hawaii’s smaller ports.

In this recent milestone, the first engine room (420 metric t) was lowered into place. Senior Executives of Philly Shipyard and Matson placed coins under the section in keeping with the long-held shipbuilding tradition to bring good fortune and safe travels.

Ron Forest, Matson President, said: “This first Aloha Class ship, named in honour of Hawaii's former senior senator and long-time champion of the US maritime industry Daniel K. Inouye, will be the biggest containership ever built in the US. We are excited that this milestone in its construction means Matson will be able to put this new ship into service a little over a year from now.”

The President and CEO of Philly Shipyard, Steinar Nerbovik, added: “It's an honour to return to our shipbuilding foundation and build two more containerships that will service the state of Hawaii and its citizens.

“In 2001 we stood in this very same location for the dock mounting of Matson's first vessel when we were a brand new shipyard. 16 years later, we are pouring the same pride into another quality build that will safely navigate the Hawaii-Pacific trade for decades to follow."